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f' Wrjorie Key Ladb iiohnty
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400.' November 21, 1956 Distriot 17
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Bibliography
Mrs. A..• White, Early Settler,
Littlefield, 4enas•
Blizzard of 1018
!age 1
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1 i.71
Mr. and Mrs. A. *hits, who lived an a find tio miles east of
Littlefield, were entertainling friends on a night in January, 191g. illg
The four played 1/50011 until about one ofoleek in the morning and when
their guests decided to leave, mr and Mrs White walked to the gate
with them. They commented on the beauty of the night. On ly a few
fluffy, white clouds Ilould be seen in the sky and the moan was .shin-'
ing brightly.
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On returning to the house the family retikrd only to be awakened e
about four o'clock in the morning by the intense cold and the lowing
of the cattle. To their surprise, they found snow all over the house,
even the bed) we completely covered. The house was built of ship -lap
and well papered on the inside, but was of little protection against
the driving wind and snow. Mr. and Mrs. white and c'.-ildren went to
work to get the snow out of the house and in the days that followed,
bushel baskets were used to can; it out. They took broom&to the barns
and used then to sweep off the cattle. Rain had evidently fallen early
in the night for the cattle were frosen an the side that faced the wind.
About seen o olof* the next morning the storm abated. l'he sdhool
truck came by for the children and tun? of the boys went, the other two
remaining at home with their parents. The truck had been gone only a
short tile when the snow began to fall again. A few hours later the
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thermometer read *Mt degrees below zero. Mrs. White moved the bed
and couch close to the stove and the family went to bed to keep warm.
One of the boys made his bed in a largo wicker chair. They stoked the
stove tdith coal and tried to keep the house as warm as possible. The
electricity wus so great that when one of the boys in a playful mood
Marjorie Key
:lovilmbor 21s 1936
UN& 410unty
Matrix* 17'
Bliszard of 1218
Page 2
todhed the u WC with one hand and his mothers forehead with the
other, it almost pulled the skid off..
Ira. Vhite became very worried about her two children who had left
that morning for school. She wanted to go in search or them but her
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husband convinced her that she qouldnt get an4pleee in the storm. In-
-,401FP
desperation she• about decided to saddle the horse and manor
them when word came that We. T. P. Wright had taken the children to her
hJne appreciated this gesture because they yore strangers
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in this western country, having moved out from Wisoonaln the year befor90
-23110*.
Before the storm that lasted three days was over, many cattle booze
to death and wore found heaped in fenes corners. One fine bull that
lr. Lit, had just bought et..s.paitee-ekti-fiwo-Awagszett dollars hald fol-
lowed the drifting cattle and was feund,d4ad in one of the large Wes
44-0
of dewl cttle. As late as 1084 wideness of the blizzard iMilliedlt
seen. Heaps of dided.bones coul4 be found on the ranChlands. One man
as found frozen to,deahji near the spot leer* the town of 4hullowater
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now stands,. The man had called at the white farm the afternoon before
the storm began. He had on plenty of clothes but they wt.. In a very
ragged condition. urs. bhite invited the man to come in but he told
her tt he would like to have a little aortae and a can to •Aak0 it
in. Mrs. Ito told him4 that she would be glad to make the coffee
for him but no refused. he therefore fUrnIshed an empty tomatodt can
to nuke the coffee las and half a loaf of white breed. During the
war people Irire allowed only a certain amount of white flour and wore
foredd to substitute eernbread. The man accepted the coffee and bread
but declined to come into the 'louse and ware. .4short tine later his
camp fire could be seem. That night theAlizsard lame and tho next day
the sane man w'.s found frozen to death*
Marjorie Key Lamb County Blizzard of 1918'
November 21# 1936 A"istriet 17 Fags 3
Mrs hits said that she flat very bad about the man's death. Although
she had done her best to get the man to collie into the house and accept
food and warmth, and he steadfastly rThsd9 Mrs. white said that
zard was really something to live through and all the years they have
lived in and around Littlefield, they have never experienfled such cold
weather as they did then.